Veterans: the business world needs you
Leadership and a positive “can do” attitude are just two of the skills honed during decades of military service that Michael Green, an ex-Royal Marine, says are crucial to his business success.
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Mr Green, 62, joined the Royal Marines aged just 16 and left aged 50 when he began the next phase in his career in human resources. He initially joined the corporate world as an HR manager, before deciding to become a consultant.
He set up his own HR consultancy – Endorse HR Ltd – six years ago and says the military’s “can do” mind-set is a huge help when setting up your own business. “You work very hard, usually extremely long hours. You tend to get knock-backs and if you haven’t got that toughness and that will to succeed, you can very quickly decide to throw the towel in.”
He is far from alone in transferring his military skills into business success. More than 1,300 start-ups from the military community have been helped by X-Forces Enterprise (XFE).
XFE is a social enterprise which helps service leavers, veterans, their spouses and Reservists to start and grow their own businesses and access funding. It was launched in 2013, when cuts to military personnel meant thousands were moving into civilian life, looking for new jobs during a tough time for the UK economy.
They also faced other challenges which are still valid today; former service personnel looking for work can face misconceptions about their ability to adapt to civilian working, or fear they do not have the required industry-specific skills. Reservists may find civilian employers are concerned about taking on staff who can be called away on military service.
X-Forces Enterprise has helped many businesses – from photo booths and campervan restoration, to carpentry and pest control – and says that many are more successful than their civilian counterparts.
CEO and founder Ren Kapur MBE explained: “Business ownership impacts the community in many different ways; job creation, wealth creation, individual purpose and wider societal benefits. This is why I’m delighted that we’re working more closely with the Federation of Small Business (FSB) to help support more people connected to the Armed Forces to choose this path.
Ren, who is herself an acting Reservist, advises those thinking of starting up on their own to seek good business advice. With expert help, they can create a solid business plan and find continuing support.
There are around 925,000 veterans of working age in the UK and the Government aims to increase the number of Reservists to 30,000.
FSB is among more than 2,000 organisations which have signed the Armed Forces Covenant – a commitment to treat fairly those who have served their country. It encourages other small businesses to do the same. FSB offers support to all those connected to the Armed Forces to set up and run a business.
FSB Chairman Mike Cherry, himself a former Reservist, says the organisation already supports a significant number of businesses run by ex-forces personnel, and is working to increase that number. It recently started a new membership category specifically for those in the early stages of thinking about starting a business for the first time.
Hear Ren Kapur MBE explain why she joined the Reservists: https://twitter.com/fsb_policy/status/1011971026593435648/video/1
